Estradiol Levels Affect Death Risk Among Women on HD

High and low serum estradiol levels in women on hemodialysis (HD) are associated with increased overall and cardiovascular mortality, according to researchers.

Mehmet Tanrisev, MD, of the Izmir Tepecik Research and Training Hospital in Izmir, Turkey, and colleagues studied 147 female HD patients. The patients had a mean estradiol level of 28.6 pg/mL. Researchers divided patients into tertiles of estradiol level (less than 21, 21-30, and greater than 30 pg/mL).

During a mean follow-up of 36 months, 52 patients (35.6%) died, 22 from cardiovascular causes. Compared with patients in the middle tertile, those in the first and third tertiles had a significant 4.5 and 4.3 times increased risk of death from any cause, respectively, and a significant 5.1 and 4.2 times increased risk of cardiovascular mortality, respectively, after adjusting for potential confounders.

Mean serum estradiol levels were significantly higher in patients with diabetes compared with those who did not have diabetes the researchers reported online ahead of print in International Urology and Nephrology.